Seadoos / Jetskis | Page 2 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Seadoos / Jetskis

No popo is dependent on where you'll ride your PWC. Come down to Lake Ontario, we got lots


For those that are taking the internet test to get a Power boat operators card, please actually read the rules and understand them. ' Right of way' isn't to limit your fun or punish free spirits.
 
@PrivatePilot Sounds like you miss them!

One aspect I like about this sport is no popo around, or limited popo. With sportbikes comes that whole losing your license paranoia.

Hahah...whoa there on the "No police". Jetskis are police magnets. If there are police anywhere on the water rest assured you are going to get a visit, even if you're not actually even riding agressively or doing anything to attract them.

It's unfortunate, but jetskis carry the same stigma on the water as a 'Busa being ridden by a 16 year old squid does on land. It's automatically assumed by pretty much everyone (including the police) that you are a bunch of infractions waiting for the picking, so make sure to have all your ducks in a row - proper paperwork, your pleasurecraft operators licence, ALL the required safety equipment, etc. We always carried extra things on top of that (a collapsable oar, extra flashlights, etc) to show that we were actually carrying over and above the required equipment, but we got stopped (without a word of a lie) probably at least 50% of the time we were on the water. We expected it.

Also take note that this stigma, not undeservedly (because a lot of jetski operators are just ******** and do ******* types of things) are disliked by a lot of others on the water, so don't expect to show up at the sandbar party and get a warm reception from everyone...sometimes it's like showing up at Sturgis on a Vespa. HOW you arrive can carry a lot of weight, so slow down a long way out and putter carefully and slowly into docks/moorages/canals/no wake areas etc etc - this is another thing lost on many Jetski owners who think the rules (and more importantly, etiquette!!) need not apply to them, or just make idiotic decisions like roaring into the middle of a sandbar party...because everyone loves having their boats rocked off their anchors, waves everywhere, etc..right?

Again, it's an unfortunate situation where a lot of hooligan Jetski riders have given them really bad names, so everyone gets painted with the same brush - even though my wife and I are were far from the stereotypical 20 or 30-something hooligan riders (and when I *did* get up to shenanigans, I would do it in the middle of the lake all by myself, not 15 feet off the end of cottagers docks, or endlessly buzzing the sandbar parties kicking up waves and rocking boats, etc) so I wasn't bothering anyone.

Anyhow, my point is...don't think you're not going to be bothered by the OPP. You will be. Expect it. If you have all your required gear onboard and in proper operating condition (Flashlights are a hard one to keep working, Jetskis like to smash/destroy/nearly liquify things you put in their storage compartments) most of the checks we went through were little more then "Hey, how are you, have you had anything to drink today" affairs, and when they asked for paperwork and I'd stand up and lean over the handlebars in an effort to retrieve it from the front hatch (at which point they'd see the *extra* safety equipment like our collapsable oars, etc) they'd tell us to have a good day and we'd be on our way. Only maybe 10% of the time did they actually want us to remove every single piece of safety equipment to show it was all working, check out every single piece of paperwork, our licences, etc etc..but you'd best make sure you have it all, trust me. ;)
 
Last edited:
I dont know I'm into my second season and the novely hasnt worn off.

I did 56 hours on my spark and im already at 25 hours with my new one now.

Just join a few seadoo clubs and go out with a few others and your set.

Just curious, how many years before riding lost it's interest for you. I know you got into sleds and 'skis right after you stopped.

Reason I'm asking is that I'm looking at a "timeshare" ish kind of business. You sign up for a bike, watercraft or snowmobile, but like a timeshare you are only allowed access for so many weeks/months/years. Like a rental, but more long term
 
looking at a "timeshare" ish kind of business. You sign up for a bike, watercraft or snowmobile, but like a timeshare you are only allowed access for so many weeks/months/years. Like a rental, but more long term

I'd be all over that like a fat kid on a cheeseburger. It's not that I was necessarilly bored of our Jetskis, it was that I couldn't justify owning them anymore for the amount of time I knew we'd actually use them once we got back into motorcycles.

I'd love to be able to grab a set of skis and take off to the lake once or twice a summer to get it out of my system, no question.

The problem I foresee for such a business is actually getting people to respect the equipment. Long before I owned Jetskis I used to rent them occasionally..back when that was actually possible from some Marinas - I think most got out of it now. Unfortunately the reality is that the "drive it like you stole it" mantra for anything rental certainly goes to the head of many people, and you will also get clueless idiots who beat them up - driving them up onto sand and rocks is a good example, wrecks impellers, scratches hulls, clogs cooling systems, and the other killer is people who just tie them to a dock without fenders and leave them there with the waves smashing the crap out of the gunnels, the hull..the hood - seen it all....so I'm sure maintenance and upkeep would be a chore..and inside a few years there will be zero resale value left on them, so it's a "drive them into the ground" thing which not every member/participant of the time-share thing may be cool with when they receive a rent-a-wreck when their time comes.

In short, filtering out the idiots from the actually decent people would be a challenge.
 
I'd be all over that like a fat kid on a cheeseburger. It's not that I was necessarilly bored of our Jetskis, it was that I couldn't justify owning them anymore for the amount of time I knew we'd actually use them once we got back into motorcycles.

I'd love to be able to grab a set of skis and take off to the lake once or twice a summer to get it out of my system, no question.

The problem I foresee for such a business is actually getting people to respect the equipment. Long before I owned Jetskis I used to rent them occasionally..back when that was actually possible from some Marinas - I think most got out of it now. Unfortunately the reality is that the "drive it like you stole it" mantra for anything rental certainly goes to the head of many people, and you will also get clueless idiots who beat them up - driving them up onto sand and rocks is a good example, wrecks impellers, scratches hulls, clogs cooling systems, and the other killer is people who just tie them to a dock without fenders and leave them there with the waves smashing the crap out of the gunnels, the hull..the hood - seen it all....so I'm sure maintenance and upkeep would be a chore..and inside a few years there will be zero resale value left on them, so it's a "drive them into the ground" thing which not every member/participant of the time-share thing may be cool with when they receive a rent-a-wreck when their time comes.

In short, filtering out the idiots from the actually decent people would be a challenge.

large security deposit is the answer.
 
Just curious, how many years before riding lost it's interest for you. I know you got into sleds and 'skis right after you stopped.

Reason I'm asking is that I'm looking at a "timeshare" ish kind of business. You sign up for a bike, watercraft or snowmobile, but like a timeshare you are only allowed access for so many weeks/months/years. Like a rental, but more long term

Hmmm at least 12 years before moving onto something else. Yeah i was already jumping into other "toys" which drew my time and attention away from riding.
Now i can play all year long with the ones i have now .. :)
The time share style business sounds interesting inregards to "toys". Id like to know more ..
 
large security deposit is the answer.

Never a bad idea, but how much.

A lot of people can't even come up with $500 cash nowadays, and even if you want $1000 (which still isn't much) on plastic, a lot of people don't even have that sort of credit available.

Realistically $1000 isn't even going to fix things in the end of they (using my earlier example) scrape the hell out of the hull at a dock or something like that. Yeah, it's just cosmetic, but it makes a ski look like crap.

I was over the top carefully anytime our skis were tied up to keep them cosmetically safe, but it's going to be hard to get renters to care that much.
 
Never a bad idea, but how much.

A lot of people can't even come up with $500 cash nowadays, and even if you want $1000 (which still isn't much) on plastic, a lot of people don't even have that sort of credit available.

Realistically $1000 isn't even going to fix things in the end of they (using my earlier example) scrape the hell out of the hull at a dock or something like that. Yeah, it's just cosmetic, but it makes a ski look like crap.

I was over the top carefully anytime our skis were tied up to keep them cosmetically safe, but it's going to be hard to get renters to care that much.

If it was me I’d look for $1.5-3k pre authorized on a credit card but even then they could cancel the card I suppose. I’d have a list of common repair costs posted too. Anytime you’re in a business where trust is involved I’m guessing it pays to think of the worst scenario. Alternatively, rent equipment that has cosmetic issues but is mechanically sound.
 
Go to a marina and look at the rental fishing and pontoon boats. Keep in mind many are not that old. You'll see what I mean. ;)

Rental snowmobiles are an interesting prospect but I think insurance would be a nightmare since they are much more regulated in that respect vs water vessels. Heck, you don't even actually need a licence to rent a 30, 40...50+ foot houseboat (tell me where THAT makes sense, but loopholes abound), but buy your own 14' fishing boat with a 9.9, and yeah, you'd better have it or you're in for a big assed ticket.
 
Good info Private Pilot. Thanks for taking the time to write it. Didn't know there was a hooligan scene on water. The OPP are here in Wasaga Beach twice to maybe three times per year. You can see the jetskis racing...some pretty impressive speeds too. The boating scene looks rather relaxed here as far as cops go. You see the jetskis pulling up and parking on the beach...good way to beat the car traffic and find your own private beach spot.

There are guys that rent supercars here as well and take you through Collingwood and back. Wonder what the deposit is for them?

Jetskis are for rent here at Pedro's. I think it's ~$100 / hour.

Owning a few sleds I always wondered if there was much of a thrill to jetskis as once you own a sled for any amount of time, going 100 mph in a straight line gets old. I def can see the fun in crashing the waves tho.

The pain in the ass part about Ontario (and these are well off people problems) is the insurance. Two jetskis. Two sportbikes. Two ATV's. Two sleds. Two supermotos. Two cars. House. The insurance companies own you. So what we need is a vehicle that turns from an ATV into a sled into a boat. A sportbike that turns into a dirtbike. Toys need to be rethought. I've seen a guy on YouTube make his Can-am XMR amphibious with not a lot of work. ATV's can also do snow. I've now seen a GSX-R 1000 dirtbike. Multifunction vehicles are the way of thinking for the future. Get your engineering heads on :)



Sent from my ZTE A2017U using Tapatalk
 
$100/hour, ouch. I think I remember paying something like $225 for the entire day when I rented one last...but yeah, that was probably close to 2 decades ago LOL. At $100/hour I'd be out, personally...need 2 (wife would want her own) and to have any amount of fun without having to be constantly watching the time I'd want at least 5-7 hours, so more or less..a day.

Used to be a sledder. Did the 100MPH thing, also did a ton of trail riding. Even as a youngster I enjoyed the trail riding - fostered a real love of the forest and scenery during those years. At this point if I did a rental again it would be the same as above, 2 sleds for a full day so we could go enjoy a leisurely trail ride, not do the 100mph on a lake thing.
 
Never a bad idea, but how much.

A lot of people can't even come up with $500 cash nowadays, and even if you want $1000 (which still isn't much) on plastic, a lot of people don't even have that sort of credit available.

Realistically $1000 isn't even going to fix things in the end of they (using my earlier example) scrape the hell out of the hull at a dock or something like that. Yeah, it's just cosmetic, but it makes a ski look like crap.

I was over the top carefully anytime our skis were tied up to keep them cosmetically safe, but it's going to be hard to get renters to care that much.

My buddy owns a watercraft rental business. He rents everything from jet skis to wakeboard boats.
His equipment is constantly getting banged up... I know he's had to fish 2 seadoos and a boat off of bottoms this season.
It's 300 per day for most.. a little more for rxp or rxt.
The deposits on the seadoos are $2000... although renter is responsible for all damage. Beaching it and scratching the hull will easily cost a grand.
 
Last edited:
Here are the rates. Not likely what you're looking for as they want the instructor to be able to see you. Only a $50 deposit, but judging by the last paragraph, what these guys and the machines have to endure is likely a very stressful business! $349 for a full day mid-week is not bad tho. I'm sure if you're experienced and licensed they would give you more freedom.

http://www.wasagawaverunners.com/rates/

They rent sleds too. Judging by the Google reviews this business model is just not worth it.

Ride On Rentals https://g.co/kgs/jCYfJQ

Looks like the happy customers would be the ones from Toronto who've never stepped foot on a jetski or a snowmobile and are quite happy to follow the leader and go in circles on a field. The more experienced would be miserable.

I'm trying to figure out how these guys rent supercars. Imagine a superbike rental business? They'd be out of business in a day!

Sent from my ZTE A2017U using Tapatalk
 
The supercar rental business just got a boot to the *** in the last few weeks.

The usual run the company has been doing for the last few years, people started complaining about the route and how fast they would drive.

Cops just sat up a radar trap for them, and impounded all the vehicles.
 
We ride our sea-doo's pretty mellow, explored about 30 different lakes so far and there are tons to go, biggest hazard is rocks near the surface, some lakes are very safe, some are incredibly dangerous. You hit a rock that is right at the surface of the water, it's going to do serious damage to everything.

Ski-Doo's lol nobody ever followed me I rode snowmobiles like a dirt bike in the woods, never got into that blasting across a lake at 100 thing. Open water on a snowmobile looks like a hoot! I'd like to try that.

[video=youtube_share;s06j2R5aCuI]https://youtu.be/s06j2R5aCuI[/video]
 
My little brother has a pair. It’s been the usual toy procedure: Ride them lots the first year and then gradually taper off until it’s costing big bucks per ride and the maintenance becomes a pain. Last year the batteries were left in over the winter and now need to be replaced. The jet skis are in the water but the dock area is weedy so when he boosts them he needs to clean out the impellers.
 
We ride our sea-doo's pretty mellow, explored about 30 different lakes so far and there are tons to go, biggest hazard is rocks near the surface, some lakes are very safe, some are incredibly dangerous. You hit a rock that is right at the surface of the water, it's going to do serious damage to everything.

Ski-Doo's lol nobody ever followed me I rode snowmobiles like a dirt bike in the woods, never got into that blasting across a lake at 100 thing. Open water on a snowmobile looks like a hoot! I'd like to try that.

[video=youtube_share;s06j2R5aCuI]https://youtu.be/s06j2R5aCuI[/video]

Make sure you turn the handlebars the opposite way so the front pops up instead of digging in if the skis hit. I've never ridden the water in the summer but before riding sleds with a buddy we go find some water and practice. Thankfully we've never accidentally hit water but if we do we are ready.
 
My dad had a late 90's Polaris jet ski. The thing was a blast for the 6ish years we owned it, as we mostly used it for tubing and it performed pretty well. The last few years it maybe saw 8 hours of use per year for the same reasons people have said above, getting to the lake. The lake our cottage is on is way too small for that machine to do anything on it, so we never really took it out unless it was towed to another, larger, lake, and eventually sold it for buy another ATV that gets used much more.

I'm considering buying another one for next summer, but I'd probably go for a standup. Completely different experience and I think would be better suited for our lake.
 
With PWC season being 12 wks? and sledding being 8-10wks? I don't see a good business model in rentals. Looks like a good way to make a million dollars, if you started with two million dollars.....
 

Back
Top Bottom